Candidate for House District 101 seat says, if elected, he'll donate full salary to charities

View full sizeDon Hembree, Republican candidate for House District 101, is seen in this campaign photo. (Courtesy Don Hembree)

MOBILE, Alabama – A candidate for the Alabama House of Representatives said, if elected, he will donate his entire paycheck to a non-profit fund for charitable donation.

Republican Don Hembree said on Thursday that he has already set up the fund at Bankcorp South and appointed three individuals to facilitate donations should he be elected to the House District 101 seat. On June 3, in the Republican primary, he will face Chris Pringle, who held the seat until 2002.

“This is a tangible way of making a difference in the community,” said Hembree, who owns a sizeable heating and air conditioning business in the Mobile area.

He said the move was inspired by other politicians who have eschewed their own salaries, such as Gov. Robert Bentley, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl.

“They’ve been sort of my role models and inspiration,” Hembree said.

He said his inclination would be for the money in the fund to go to between two and four charitable organizations, although he said those would be determined by the fund administrators and he had no early proclivity as to where the money goes. There will be an application process for the funds, Hembree said.

He called the move “a major sacrifice for myself and my family.”

“But this is a tangible demonstration of the reason I’m running for office,” Hembree said. “It’s time for people to stand up that have the abilities and wherewithal to run for office.”